New Delhi: The government has appointed Air Marshal Amar Preet Singh, currently serving as the Vice Chief of the Air Staff, as the next Chief of the Air Staff. He will take over the role of Air Chief Marshal on September 30, 2024, succeeding Air Chief Marshal Vivek Ram Chaudhari, PVSM, AVSM, VM, ADC, who retires on the same day.

Air Marshal Amar Preet Singh assumed the position of the 47th Vice Chief of the Indian Air Force on February 1, 2023. His distinguished career in the Indian Air Force began on December 21, 1984, when he was commissioned into the fighter stream. Before leading the prestigious Central Air Command (CAC), Singh served as Senior Air Staff Officer at Eastern Air Command.

An alumnus of the National Defence Academy, Defence Services Staff College, and National Defence College, Air Marshal Singh is a Qualified Flying Instructor and an Experimental Test Pilot. He has over 5,000 hours of flying experience across a wide range of fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft.

Throughout his career, Air Marshal Singh has been recognised for his service and achievements. He was awarded the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal in 2019 and the Param Vishisht Seva Medal in 2023. He has commanded an operational fighter squadron and a frontline airbase.

As a test pilot, Singh led the MiG-29 Upgrade Project Management Team in Moscow, Russia. He also served as Project Director (Flight Test) at the National Flight Test Centre, where he oversaw the flight testing of the Light Combat Aircraft, Tejas. Additionally, he has held important staff appointments, including Air Defence Commander at South Western Air Command and Senior Air Staff Officer at Eastern Air Command. Prior to becoming Vice Chief of the Air Staff, he was the Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Central Air Command. /BI